ROGER MARTIN
Family Information: Married to wife Kathi. One
daughter, Bridgette. Two beautiful grandchildren, Madilyn and Austin.
Occupation: Artist/Craftsman/Business owner
Artistry Glass Studio. www.artistryglass.com
Address: 434 E. Minton Dr., Tempe, AZ 85282
What I've been doing since 1975:
This is my story since I graduated. It is mostly
true but some of the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Well after
I barely graduated I goofed around for the summer working as a gas station
attendant at the 76 stations in Globe. I think there is an Express stop mini
mart there now. Anyhow after that, I thought I better do something with my life.
But not having money for collage I decided to go to haircutting school. Mostly
because there was a hair cutting school in Globe at the time and I could get a
student loan. So I lucked out again and graduated from Rose-mar Beauty Academy.
It’s not what I dreamed of doing but now I was making a living and moved out
on my own.
Now I’m bumping along cutting
hair in Globe and I see a group called Up With People that came though town. I
had a friend named Ray Villegas in the cast. So decide to try out for the cast
and I get accepted. Pretty cool! Now I get to travel around the US and Mexico
with 100 new friends for a year. When I finished that I came back to Globe back
to cutting hair. That’s when my luck really changed and I met my lovely bride.
She made an appointment with me for a perm and a haircut. Two months later he
get married. When it’s right it’s easier than breathing. Well we have been
married for 24 years this June.
We lived in Globe for a little
over a year I worked at Cablecom and Kathi worked at Valley National Bank. Then
we moved to Tempe. While cutting hair full time I went back to school and got a
degree in Advertising Art. Now this is what I wanted to do with my life, be an
artist. Well it seemed that everywhere I applied, they wanted to start a guy out
at minimum wage and that might have been ok if I were just starting out and
didn’t already have a family and a mortgage. Well I continued to cut hair full
time for 15 years and at least part time for 20. Hair was very good to me and
always helped us keep grub on the table. But I still wanted to be an artist. My
wife was still working for Valley National Bank and told me about there
marketing department so I tried to get hired on there. The woman I interviewed
with suggested I get my foot in the door first, so I interviewed for a different
job in the credit card department and got it. Valley Bank and Bank One merged
about this time and I worked hard and worked my way up to supervisor. An
opening came up in the marketing department I interviewed and finally get
offered the job I wanted, if I want to move to Columbus Ohio. No I didn’t want
to uproot my family, besides it’s to damn cold there.
I stayed at Bank One for five
years working my way up to Commercial Loan Servicing/ Collateral Manager.
Meanwhile my wife Kathi had a part-time job that was working at a stained glass
store to pay for her Hobby (Addiction) and from time to time she would ask me to
help her design things. Everytime I did she would say “that won’t work you
can’t cut that way”. Then she suggested I take a stained glass class. I did.
About a year later the owner of the store asked Kathi if she and I would like to
buy the store. At first we weren’t sure but we got up the courage and said OK.
Finally I got to be an artist. It didn’t happen the way I thought it would and
it’s not in the medium I planned but I couldn’t be happier. We have owned
this business for 6 years now.
I was wrong I found out I can be
happier our daughter Bridgette and her Husband Brendan have giving us two
beautiful grandchildren Madilyn & Austin. Now I couldn’t be happier Kathi
and I plan on retiring in Safford someday but that won’t be for a few years
yet. I still have a sister, Connie, that lives in Miami but we don’t seem to
get together enough. Not that we don’t want to but you no how life gets in the
way. Well thank you for reading all the way to the end of this little
summarization of my life since Miami High it might not be that exciting but it
sure has suited me fine.
Roj
Memories of MHS:
My memories of my time in Miami.
We moved to Miami from Christmas, Arizona when I was in fourth grade. I lived on
Adonis Ave. and my best friend at the time was Dwayne Peck. I was in Mrs.
Wameldove's homeroom at Bullion Plaza school but unfortunately I don’t have
any of my grade school pictures. I do remember some of the kids in my class,
George Gillagos, Mike Russell, Danny Redford, Johnny Sanchez, and Johnny Brooks.
I think there were girls back then I just don’t remember the ones in my class,
but I do remember that Mrs. Thrane and Mrs. Ledbeter scared the hell out of me.
I loved playing Kickball
in the playground, and there was a little store behind the school and I would go
there and buy Jolly Rancher Fire sticks (5 cents). I also enjoyed walking up
that long staircase off of Adonis Ave (there By the Sosh’s House) to
Pauline’s Restaurant for her Hot Butter Tortillas. Then we move on to George
Washington Junior High 6th & 7th grade. And for a short time my family lived
on Pine Street behind Bullion Plaza. I lived across the street from Ronny
Montoya. Then we moved to Kent Street in lower Miami.
My best friend at the time
was Tony Cook class of 76. Eddie Valenzuela lived on that street also and he had
a bitchin blue bike with a steering wheel instead of handlebars. But during that
time I also hung out with Mike Foster, Jim Teague, & Wayne Bell we were all
in 7-14. I had a crush on Leila Mayo.
I remember Jerry Rocha cutting
the crap out of his hand because he stuck it through a window. We were leaving
Mr. Bumpass’s Science class. I think he was chasing a girl or being chased. I
don’t remember. I do remember track & field days and Dodge ball in the Gym
and going over the over pass to the Burger Box. Playing Honky tonk woman on the
jukebox. What was the name of that band that played at our school dances I think
it was Wolfgang & what was in Mrs. Sneaden’s thermos?
On to eighth grade, junior high
still but at the high school. I was still hanging with the same guys
mostly. But about this time I started hanging out with Mike Spurgeon and his
brother Danny and Cliff Belarde. This is about the time my grades started
dropping and I was loosing interest in schoolwork. Hmmm I wonder if they had any
influence on me. Nah it was a phase. (That lasted till I was a Junior.) I
remember falling asleep in Mr. Johnson’s class during a film and he woke me up
by pouring water in my ear. Now that’s funny. And getting swats bare handed
from Mr. Ficky. And getting kicked out of school until my mom came to school
because I shot Mrs. Canzano in the ass with a Spit wad. Getting to listen to the
World Series in Mr. Bach’s class. Oh the dances were fun, I remember a band
named Hot Lucy they were a three-piece band, kind of like Grand Funk, I enjoyed
the class brawls I remember pushing a bean with my nose and kicking everyone’s
ass. I don’t remember what grade that was they all seem to run together.
At the end of our Sophomore year
my family moved to Globe and I finished high school there. It wasn’t bad but I
have more memories of Miami. When I went to Globe reunions it didn’t feel as
much like home as when I came to the last Miami reunion. I think Cheryl Cowan is
the one the found me and invited me back to the reunion Thank You Cheryl.
Although I still have couple of very good friends from Globe, Miami class of 75
is my class.
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